Greta straightened up, putting one hand on the small of her back and pushing out, working her neck and jaw to release some of the tension, and let out a groan. Finally, she twisted her shoulders and waist in either direction and yawned. "Any chance we can take a break?" she groaned, glancing over at Dietrich and raising an eyebrow expectantly.
Sitting back on his heels, Dietrich wiped the back of his hand across his forehead and blinked. "Sure," he agreed, letting out a heavy breath. "Maybe doing something else for a few minutes will make this stupid schematic make sense."
"Having trouble with the bed?" asked Greta, flopping onto the old loveseat that her aunt had given them.
"I've seen Futhark inscriptions that made more sense than this," he grumbled, giving the instruction page a dirty look and tossing his screwdriver down on the floor next to the pieces of the bed before finally pushing himself up to his feet. "It's like they are trying to make it impossible to understand!"
"I'm sorry," she cooed, patting the loveseat next to her. "But, hopefully it will be worth it in the end…"
"I hope so." Dietrich sat down next to her, and she leaned up against his side, resting her head on his shoulder. Wrapping her arm around her, he sighed. "They say to put the frame together first, and to use the longer screws on the main part of the frame and the short ones to hold the headboard in place. But the screws are all basically the same size! And whenever I get one side of the frame fitting together, I can't get the other side lined up properly. And–"
Greta silenced him with a kiss and smirked. "Are you saying that you're having trouble with basic spatial awareness?" she teased. "Maybe I can help."
He hummed. "Maybe – even just having a second set of hands would be helpful," he admitted, nodding. Glancing to the other side of the room, he chuckled. "I see you got your vanity unpacked."
She shrugged. "It meant a few less boxes cluttering up the room. Next up, I'll try to get the closet sorted out."
"Just be sure to leave some room for when I move my clothes in," he warned, giving her a wry grin.
"I make no promises." She pressed a kiss to his cheek. "Of course, it would be a lot easier to gauge how much space I have if you moved in now…"
He quirked an eyebrow at her in amusement. "I'll bring more of my clothes over soon enough – hopefully I won't need winter stuff until after the wedding."
"Agreed." Standing up, Greta stretched his shoulders and gave him a pointed look. "Ready?"
Sighing, Dietrich nodded and joined her. "Okay, if you can hold this piece like so," he began, picking up one of the long bars and handing it to her, "I should be able to get it into the slot on the leg… like so…"
Bracing her legs, Greta held the piece steady while he quickly secured it in place before handing her the next one. Giving it a firm hit, Greta pushed the piece into its slot for Dietrich to screw it into place. In a matter of minutes, the bedframe was together, sitting in the middle of the bedroom. Greta stood up straight and watched Dietrich arrange the air mattress and fan. Finally, he straightened up and draped an arm over her shoulders as the mattress filled. "That wasn't so hard," she teased impishly, glancing up at him and placing a hand on his.
He rolled his eyes. "I knew there was a reason I needed you."
"You know," she mused, arching an eyebrow at him, "whenever I imagined you saying you 'needed' me in connection with the bed, this is exactly what I had in mind…" She sighed. "I am glad we decided to replace my bed now, instead of moving the old one in here and then having to get a new one and get rid of the old… Although it would be nice to try it out properly…" she added, her voice taking on a husky tone.
Dietrich's ears reddened. "I…" He coughed. "Why don't we see about getting the living room unpacked?" he suggested.
Greta stifled a laugh, following him out of the bedroom to the main part of the small apartment. They had found one only two blocks from campus: two smallish bedrooms, with a tiny kitchen and dining room/living room area. But it was cozy, just enough for the two of them. As Dietrich busied himself with setting up his television on the entertainment center and organizing their books and movies, Greta started going through the box of pictures her parents had sent with her. Most would just go in the closet – they had barely any wall space to spare… but there was a nice double frame they had given her after their engagement, showing them together in elementary school and then again after they had taken the Abitur. It was amazing: after years of imagining it, they were finally here.
"Let's see…" murmured Dietrich, as the television turned on. "Nice. We're all set."
"Won't you miss having a TV in your bedroom?" Greta asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I can just come over here after classes if I really want to watch something – other than what Mother and Father want to watch," he answered, quirking an eyebrow back at her.
"Or you could just stay," she pointed out. "I promise, I wouldn't be upset if you decided to just move in before the wedding – it's only a couple months away, anyways."
Dietrich grimaced. "I would – you know I would," he began. "But I just – I don't want to give anyone the wrong impression. Your parents most of all."
She stifled a giggle. "My dad is absolutely thrilled that we're getting married," she reminded him. "And my parents trust us. And, what they think isn't nearly as important now as it was in the spring."
He raised an eyebrow. "I wonder if the reason your father is so thrilled is because he knows that nothing… else would happen before the wedding." He swallowed. "As much as we would both like to…" He cleared his throat.
She hummed. "You know," she mused, "just because Dietrich doesn't stay over, doesn't mean the Knight can't drop by…"